The first considerations are the Eucharist, the other sacraments, and the Liturgy of the Hours, and more to follow:

§ 47 § The prayer life of the Church is richly diverse. The eucharistic liturgy, the other sacraments, and the Liturgy of the Hours are sacred actions surpassing all others. The praise and thanksgiving, which are at the heart of the Eucharist, are continued in the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is the Church’s daily liturgical prayer that expresses the nature of the praying Church and is, itself, a sign of the Church.(Laudis Canticum) In addition to their participation in communal prayer, Christ’s followers deepen their relationship with God through private prayer, which flows from the liturgy. Thus, the Church encourages popular devotions that “harmonize with the liturgical seasons” and “lead people to [the liturgy].”(SC 12 & 13) Besides its primary role of providing a suitable place for the celebration of the liturgical rites, the church building also offers a place to which individuals may come to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and in which groups of the faithful may gather for a rich variety of devotions expressive of the faith life of a given culture, region, or ethnic community.

§ 48 § This chapter is intended to help a community fulfill its role in designing a place that readily accommodates all these needs. In new construction, parishes usually have several options for various elements of design. Sometimes those options are limited by the space or terrain, or by financial resources. And sometimes, as in the case of renovation, there are additional limits imposed by the existing structure. This chapter reviews the spatial demands of the various liturgical rites and offers principles for choosing among the various options. Many dioceses have developed their own procedures and guidelines for the building and renovation of churches. The principles in this document should guide dioceses in the writing of local directives.

We likely have a broad concession that the renewal of the Liturgy of the Hours among the ordinary laity has yet to take real root, but that one aspect of devotion, praying before the Blessed Sacrament, continues to have a needed place in churches.

Other devotions, too, those in harmony with the church’s liturgical practices, have a place in the building.

BLS 48 reminds us that the principles that follow in sections 49 through 139 will form the core of a community’s formation as a new church is built or an older one renovated, and also any guidelines offered by the local diocese for its parishes and other faith communities.

One Response to Built of Living Stones 47-48: Encompassing Liturgical and Devotional Prayer

I had found that a core group of about 10% of our daily Mass attendees will pray Morning Prayer each day. Three weeks each year I’m make a push for additional participation, and for those weeks maybe one-third of the daily Mass folks will arrive early enough to join MP. I’ve never tried a consistent program of EP.

about Todd Flowerday

A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve a parish in music ministry.

about John Donaghy

John is a lay missionary since 2007 with a parish in western Honduras. Before that he served in campus ministry and social justice ministry in Iowa. His ministry blog is http://hermanojuancito.blogspot.com

He also blogs reflections on the lectionary and saints/heroes/events of the date at http://walktheway.wordpress.com

He'll be a long-term contributor here analyzing the Latin American bishops' document from their 2007 Aparecida Conference.